Monthly Archives: September 2014

Wow. I saw the documentary ‘Fed Up’ last weekend (two times – I’m a nerd). It is eye opening. The main topics is covers is:

sugar and how it is added to almost all processed foods

fast food in schools and childhood obesity

‘big food’s’ twisted role in government policies

the sugar and soda industries evil plots to cover up the damaging effects of their products

the fact that many citizens are uninformed and do not know what a healthy choice is (low-fat = more added sugar = NOT healthier)

Society’s blind trust in government as well as corporations selling products, has lead to the corporate take over of the food industry, as well as the government. This documentary is a MUST SEE for everyone but especially Americans.

My recommendation is cook at home as much as possible, when shopping, only shop around the perimeters of the grocery store, not the aisles – avoid buying processed food products (anything that comes in a box, bag, other form of packaging), boycot all sodas (not hard for me to do as I have had a life long hatred for all soda). My biggest recommendation is to see the film ! I’d love to hear what you think !

Sustainia is a platform encouraging innovators to take a step towards tangible sustainable action. Every year they compile a guide of 100 innovative and sustainable solutions that take a step towards sustainable transformation of our global society. See the guide book below or visit www.sustania.me to explore further !

To some it might sound strange to be making cheese at dinner time, but with this recipe, it is SO easy to make fresh cheese – paneer – to go with a Indian style curry for a week night dinner.

See the process step by step in the photos below and then find the recipe at the bottom of the page.

Pour 2 liters of milk into a large metal pot and set over a medium high heat.

add 1 tablespoon of tumeric for flavor, stir in and make sure to stir on the bottom so that the milk won’t burn.

while the milk is slowly coming to a boil, prepare a metal strainer with a cheese cloth or thin towel (you can see that we have a designated ‘cheese towel’).

as soon as the milk starts to come to a strong boil, remove it from the heat.

stir in 3/4 of a liter of full fat, plain yogurt (*here in Denmark yogurt is more liquidy. if you have a more solid yogurt, water it down with about half a cup of water so that when you add it to the boiled milk, it is a runny consistancy).

continue stirring as curds sepeerate from whey.

pour seperated curds and whey into the prepared strainer.

at this stage you can sprinkle 1 or 2 teaspoons of sea salt over the top.

pour all of the curds into a bowl and use another bowl of the same size to press out liquid.

set to the side with a heavy object on top to continue pressing remaining water out while you prepare the rest of the meal.

cut the mass of cheese into cubes.

pour over prepared curry dish and stir in.

ENJOY !

RECIPE:

REQUIRED MATERIALS

large metal pot

wooden spoon

metal strainer

cheese cloth (or thin towel)

two bowls the same size (not plastic)

cutting board

knife

REQUIRED INGREDIENT

2 liters milk

3/4 liters yogurt (maybe half a cup of water too if your yogurt is thick)

1-2 tbs turmeric

1-2 tsp sea salt

Pour milk into large metal pot and heat over medium high heat. Add one or two tablespoons of turmeric to the milk, stir in. While heating, occasionally stir on bottom so milk will not burn there. While milk is slowly coming to a boil, cover a metal strainer with cheese cloth or a thin towel.

Once milk has just reached a strong boil, remove from heat and turn off the burner. While stirring, add in 3/4 liter of yogurt (or watered down yogurt). Continue stirring as curds and whey separate – about 1 minute.

Pour curds and whey over prepared strainer. Sprinkle with 1 or 2 teaspoons of sea salt. Transfer curds to a bowl, and press out liquid by using another bowl of the same size. Set to the side with something heavy to continue pressing out left over liquid. After about 20-30 minutes of extra pressing, transfer to a cutting board. Cut into cubes and add to a favorite curry dish. Stir in.

Feng shui is the ancient Chinese art of arranging a space to maximize happiness and harmony. A all encompassing resource of feng shui can be found here.

One feng shui principle in particular has always stuck with me – that is to fill your home with personal and meaningful objects. While IKEA is great for a lot of furniture basics, when it comes to art go for building up a collection of pieces that are unique and have special value to you, rather than mass produced stock items. In our home I have on display many pieces from friends, travels, or things I have made myself.

Here are some examples from our home:

(image above) in our living room: 2 paintings I have made, a lampshade I have made out of cootie catchers and a basic IKEA lantern, and homemade pillowcases I made with DMA a few years ago.

more from the living room: a poster from a favorite cafe in Copenhagen (also where me and Palmar had our first date :D), orange table runner that was a souvenir from a summer trip to Sweden, a handmade piece of art from my friend and old visual arts classmate (and Mac Lab coworker!) Bina.

my corner of our bedroom: see a handmade memory collage from the beautiful O-girl in the window

a collage piece I made with a hand drawn bear graphic (my husband is a bear’s son after all) on top of pages from a viking history book

salvaged and repainted dresser from the trash room at our apartment, and a ‘Universal Love’ portrait purchased from the artist himself in Camden, London, with Mo in 2009. *and yes the bedding and rug are from IKEA 😉

Do you have a growing collection of meaningful art and home decor ? When traveling do you hunt for things to take home as functional souvenirs ?

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